The Dragon Queen
by Sailor Universe2
Summary: A Queen from an ancient time has been reborn, and it's up to a Seer to point the way to find her. For she will tip the balance of the war.
1. Default Chapter

The Dragon Queen Chapter: 1 The Beginning  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne, but I do own a couple things in this story that will be revealed later on because I don't want to spoil anything for you guys.  
  
Sailor Universe: If you don't like this fic, then please don't waste your time or mine by reviewing that fact. I wouldn't pay any attention to it, and if I did, I could make it very unpleasant for you if you ever returned to read it. Another thing, I tend to twist things a lot, it depends on my mood, so don't assume ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!! This starts at the beginning of the series in my version, so no I won't be following the all the details in the series. Now on with the fic!  
  
  
  
A teenage girl, at the age of 18, with long light auburn hair that reached the back of her knees, walked calmly through the crowd of students of her large school. She made her way to the track in the back for her daily track practice. She stood at her full height of 5' 9" and had the body that a super model gets surgery for; you could see her curves even though she was wearing a windbreaker and sweat pants. When she got outside the sun showed off her natural golden highlights, her sparkling forest green eyes, and the small red pendant that hung around her neck. Her bangs hung slightly in her eyes to give her a somewhat mysterious look. The wind blew softly to move some strands of her hair across her high cheekbones, and her full pink lips, while she brushed the strands back behind her ear.  
  
"Hitomi!" called a girl with dark brown hair and red eyes.  
  
"Hello, Yukari." Hitomi said softly as she approached her long time friend.  
  
"Are you ready for your practice?" she asked.  
  
"Yes. Are you ready to drool over your boyfriend Anamo as usual?" Hitomi asked in amusement while watching her long time friend's face turn scarlet red. Amano is the captain of the boys' track team and Hitomi is the captain of the girls' track team. They have two captains of the track team because Hitomi and Amano are the fastest and they always tied in a race.  
  
"H-Hitomi!!!!!!!" she exclaimed in embarrassment.  
  
Hitomi chuckled softly at her friend's reaction and sat down next her on the bleachers to take off her jacket and her sweat pants to reveal a white tank top and short dark green shorts. Then she tied up her track shoes, and tied her hair into a loose bun.  
  
"Well, I'll see you after practice Yukari!" Hitomi called out as she ran out to the track.  
  
Once the guys' run was finished, with Amano first as usual, the girls got in the line up for their run. The coach blew the whistle and the girls were off with Hitomi strong in the lead when suddenly she faltered and began to fall backwards to the hard and unforgiving ground.  
  
~Hitomi's Point of View before falling~  
  
I was just running as I always had, quick, smooth, and effortlessly. Then all of a sudden I felt my stomach knot up and my vision seemed to swim, but I could see perfectly, or am I hallucinating? I saw a young man about my age, or a year older, in strange armor talking with an older man about something about a dragon, but dragons are only from fairytales. aren't they? I saw a world that was not my own, it seemed peaceful and beautiful. Then it began to change into a world of fire, the only guess I have for it is a war of some sort. There were massive machines that were fighting. One was mostly white and had a long blue cape, while the other was black and deep red. like blood. I couldn't see them that clearly because they were moving pretty fast, and then they quickly disappeared form my sight because I was suddenly surrounded by a bright white light. The ground began to crumble and give away underneath my feet. I couldn't get my feet to move and get away from the large crack that was forming. I felt myself falling through the large crack that was created, and for some reason I reached out my hand as if expecting to be caught, and suddenly I was. I couldn't see his face, but he had large white wings, somehow I knew that when I find him. I'll never be lonely again, and then I woke up.  
  
~Normal Point of View~  
  
Hitomi slowly opened her eyes to see that she was in the Nurse's Office. She turned her head to the right to see Amano and a very worried Yukari sitting next to the bed that she was lying in.  
  
"Hitomi! Are you all right?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. What happened?" Hitomi asked in confusion.  
  
"You passed out while running." Amano stated.  
  
"I had a vision." Hitomi trailed off. Amano and Yukari knew about her visions, Hitomi had told them about them and why when she was always right when doing tarot card readings, and also knew that they always occurred for a reason. "I can't understand it. it was a world that wasn't like Earth. I heard two men talking about a dragon." Hitomi shook her head in confusion, "I'm not sure what the vision was trying to tell me."  
  
"Well Hitomi. I don't know what to say about that, I mean the only thing that I can think to say is what your Grandma has always told you. "Trust your instincts". They've gotten you so far with your modeling, and singing career, and being you own manager, and with your martial arts, fencing, kendo, and all the other lessons that you've taken. Now look at where you are. You're the number one singer and top model in the world! You've mastered all forms of fighting that you have learned and improved the techniques to the point that you're invincible in a matter on weeks! You're the captain of the girls track team, and one of the top students in our High School." Yukari exclaimed.  
  
Hitomi blushed slightly at the praise of her best friend. "I guess that you're right Yukari." She said softly.  
  
"Also!" Yukari continued again softly once she thought of something new, "You were able to twist the governments arms into letting you take care of yourself when you were only 16 years old. You've managed to take care of yourself and keep your home. You're a very strong young woman Hitomi. I can't even remember the last time you've cried."  
  
Hitomi's eyes clouded over in memories and said, "I never cried before. I don't think that I even now how. When my mom, dad, and my little brother died I didn't cry. Instead I felt almost dead." Hitomi glanced at her watch, "I have to get home. I have some work that I need to get done for tomorrow."  
  
With that said Hitomi sat up and got out of the bed that she was lying in. She spotted her gym bag by the bed on the floor and picked it up.  
  
"I'll walk you home." Yukari stated.  
  
"No. Amano you are leaving soon to study at abroad. I want the two of you spend as much time together as possible." Hitomi stated with a mock- glare.  
  
"Are you sure?" Amano asked.  
  
"Yes! Now go the both of you!" Hitomi said with a slight chuckle.  
  
"All right Hitomi. We'll see you tomorrow." Yukari said in defeat and then she and Amano left the Nurse's Office together.  
  
Hitomi watched them leave and then went to the bathroom to wash her face and change her clothes.  
  
~In the Bathroom~  
  
Hitomi looked at herself in the mirror lost in thought. 'What was that vision about? Who was the man that occupied most of the vision? He must be important, but for what?' Hitomi sighed in frustration and splashed her face with cold water. The something caught her eye. She looked into the mirror and focused on her reflection trying to figure out what she saw. The she noticed that it was her left arm. She looked down and noticed a faint outline of something that reached from her to her elbow. 'What on earth?' Hitomi thought, and then shook her head. 'Maybe its just a bruise from the fall. That's weird. It doesn't hurt at all. I'll have to keep an eye on it.'  
  
Hitomi quickly changed her clothes and went home.  
  
~At Hitomi's Home~  
  
Hitomi took off her shoes and walked to her living room and put her things on the couch. She then went into the kitchen to make herself dinner for it was going on 7:00. Once she was done making dinner she took her food into the living room and placed her food on a placemat on her coffee table. She turned on the TV and watched her favorite TV shows. Once she was done eating she quickly got her homework done and then began to work on new songs to sing for her new CD that she began to work on, but yet finish. 'I'm beginning to run out of inspiration.' She sighed and put down her notebook with all the songs that she has ever written and her pencil. She leaned back against her couch and closed her eyes. Trying to clear her mind of the disturbing and confusing vision that she had earlier. She snapped open her eyes and felt a weird sensation come over her. It was similar to the feeling that she felt when she had a vision, but yet she had a feeling that this time it was going to be a prophecy, not a vision. She quickly got out her special notebook that her Grandma gave her for the prophecies that she was guaranteed by her Grandma that she would have. When she finally got her notebook and her pencil in her hands her eyes clouded over and her hand began to write the words that began to pour out of her mouth.  
  
A queen that had once lived will be born again. The course of a world that is known and yet unknown, to her will depend on her and only her...  
  
Then it was over. Hitomi looked down and realized that this prophecy would be one of those that would slowly be built on like her Grandma warned her.  
  
~Flashback~  
  
"Hitomi my dear." Her Grandma said to little Hitomi. "You have a very special gift. You can see possible futures, someone or something's past. You can sense when there is someone behind or hiding from you that intends to harm you. I believe that you my even had the ability to create prophecies. I think that you will also have many other things that you could do."  
  
"Really Grandma?" Little Hitomi asked.  
  
"Yes, but there are some prophecies that you won't receive completely. They will take time to build and develop. My dear little one, you must learn to have patients with these, and you must promise me something my dear."  
  
"What Grandma?"  
  
"You must learn to be very good at solving riddles, or be able to figure out possible outcomes of them, because most prophecies will be in riddles. Also, develop your powers discover everything that you can do and learn to control them. You must also keep them a secret except from those that you trust."  
  
"I promise Grandma. I've already figured out a riddle really quick and it took daddy forever to figure it out!" Little Hitomi said with a giggle.  
  
Her Grandma smiled softly at her then said, "That's great my dear. Always trust your instincts, be strong, and learn how to defend yourself for this world isn't always safe especially for women. You will grow into a beautiful young woman my little Hitomi. never let anyone or anything in the way of your dreams."  
  
"I won't Grandma. do you have to go Grandma?"  
  
"Yes my dear. I've lived my life to the fullest. I have no regrets, I'm just happy that I was able to live long enough to see you an d your little brother born. I'm glad that I was able to help raise you both and help you with your gift. Hitomi could you get that notebook and those two boxes over there on the table." Her Grandma weakly pointed to the table across the hospital room.  
  
Little Hitomi ran across to the table and grabbed the items that she was sent for and brought them back to her Grandma. She then handed them to her Grandma and climbed up on the bed and sat next to her.  
  
"I want you to have these." Her Grandma stated.  
  
The notebook was a hard cover notebook that was thick with many pages of paper. The cover was beautifully painted with silver and golden stars, different colored planets, and a golden orange sun. She the opened one of the boxes and found her Grandma's tarot cards, the very ones that her Grandma taught her how to use and read someone's future with. They were very old but since they were well taken care of they looked brand new. They're fronts had beautiful paintings of they're characters on them. On the back they all had a painting of stars with a sun and planets. If you looked carefully you could see that some of the stars and planets made an outline of a dragon with the sun as its fireball that came from its mouth. The cards were unique and one of a kind, you couldn't find another deck like it anywhere. The second box contained her Grandma's favorite pendant. The pendant was a very rare and unique blood red stone, which looked lighter in the sunlight, in the shape of a teardrop with the point of the teardrop pointed down. The pendant hung on a solid gold chain that was fairly thick so that it wouldn't break easily. This pendant could be used for scrying and it had exact one-second swings that never slowed nor stopped unless you stopped it with your hands.  
  
"Thank you Grandma!" Little Hitomi exclaimed in delight. "I promise that I will take very good care of them."  
  
"I know that you will my dear. I know that you will." Then Grandma began to breathe more shallow breaths and the light in her eyes began to fade. "It's time for me to go my little one. Remember. be strong and in your notebook. have it in your hands with a pencil or pen when you are about to recite a prophecy. You will know when they come, but I have a feeling that you will only have visions for a long time. Be sure that when you have a prophecy that you have the notebook open to a place to write, on a new page with your pencil or pen in hand and your hand will write down everything that you say. then my dear when your done you can work on trying to figure out what it means even if it isn't complete. Remember. Always trust your instincts no matter what. Good bye."  
  
"I'll remember Grandma. Good-bye. I'll always remember you and I'll miss you."  
  
Then Grandma smiled warmly and breathed her last breath and died. The heart monitor went off. Hitomi's parents and little brother rushed in with nurses and doctors. Her family had tears running down their faces. The nurses and doctors rushed to the bed but stopped when little Hitomi called out with and authoritive voice "Stop."  
  
"Honey." Her mother trailed off.  
  
Little Hitomi looked at them with eyes that seemed too old for a seven year old. The tone that she used almost sounded too mature for her as well. "She's gone and you can't bring her back no matter how hard you tried. She knew that it was her time and she went. She lived a life with no regrets and she left with no regrets. She told me before she went that she's lived her life and it was time for her to go."  
  
The adults in the room looked at the child in front of them in awe and shock at the fact that this little girl seemed to have the voice of a young woman that new everything and eyes of someone who had seen everything and held much wisdom. Also, she didn't shed a single tear for her Grandmother that had just left the world of the living.  
  
~End of Flashback~  
  
Hitomi sighed at the memory and looked down at the incomplete prophecy, it was the first that she ever had too. She glanced at her left arm and looked at the "bruise" and noticed that it had gotten darker, but not enough to see the exact shape of it. Hitomi then got up and went to her training room that her parents had built for her before they died. There she began to workout and work on her powers and learning constantly on ways to develop them, make them stronger, and more effective. Then she took a shower and went to bed.  
  
'I have to work tomorrow. what was it that I had to do again? Oh yeah, I have a photo shoot.' Hitomi thought with a sigh and then closed her eyes and went to sleep, but not before thinking, 'I'll visit my families graves on my way there. The cemetery is in the same direction as where the photo shoot is going to be held.'  
  
~Next Day After School~  
  
"How are you feeling today Hitomi?" Yukari asked in a voice tinged with concern.  
  
"Much better. I would love to stay and chat Yukari, but I have a photo shoot in an hour and I want to visit my families graves." Hitomi stated  
  
"Ok Hitomi. Good luck with the photo shoot! See you tomorrow or call me!"  
  
"Ok." Then Hitomi began to walk to the cemetery.  
  
~At the Cemetery~  
  
Hitomi stood tall and looked at the four graves in front of her. One grave stone for her Grandma, one for her little brother, one for her mother, and one for her father.  
  
"I miss you guys. I love you mom, dad, grandma, and you to you little pest." Hitomi said with a sad smile. "Little brother, my only regret is that you never had much of a chance to live life, but I know that you did enjoy it. I miss the pranks that we pulled together and all the time we spent together. I hope that your souls are at peace, I have to go to work. See you later, I love you all." Then Hitomi continued her walk to work.  
  
~At the Photo Shoot~  
  
Hitomi did numerous poses for the camera with all sorts of different outfits, and they all managed to show off her figure in some way. Hitomi posed over and over again for two hours until she was finally done.  
  
"All right Hitomi you're done!" The Photographer said. "Oh, and you can keep the clothes."  
  
"Thanks Tom." Hitomi said and went to change into her street clothes. She wore black hip hugger jeans that slightly hugged her legs and slightly fanned around her tennis shoes, but didn't quite cover them. She wore a tight dark forest green shirt that had no sleeves, the top of the shirt covered a little part of her neck, and the shirt stopped just above her belly button, and she was still wearing her pendant. Once she changed she put all the clothes that she had modeled into her subspace pocket. 'It's times like this when I'm glad that I have all these different abilities. I can store clothes weapons and all sorts of neat stuff without carrying them.' Hitomi laughed to herself and grabbed her navy blue duffel bag with her track clothes inside.  
  
She stepped out of her changing room and walked over to Tom who had the developed pictures from the day in a folder in his hands, and ready for her.  
  
"Here's the pictures for today Hitomi. You know the drill girl. Look through them and see which ones you want the entire world to see, which will more than likely wind up in a lot of guys' walls." Tom said with a smirk.  
  
Hitomi laughed and said jokingly, "Thanks Tom. Should I expect one of those many guys with my pictures on their walls to me you?"  
  
"Hell yeah!" He replied enthusiastically.  
  
Hitomi laughed again, "How come I'm not surprised? Good-Bye Tom!"  
  
"Bye Hitomi, see you next time!" He called after her.  
  
Hitomi walked out of the building with a small smile and looked at her watch. 'Well I still have time to run to the clothes store and pick up something's, get to the studio and grab those music videos to edit, and head over to the schools track field and run a bit.'  
  
With that plan in mind Hitomi went to her favorite clothes store that was near by and bought a couple bras, underwear, and some socks. 'Damn dryer had to ruin my good pairs. At least I fixed it, I'm glad that my dad showed me how to fix everything in the house before he died. At least those were the only clothes that machine ruined.'  
  
After she was out of the store she saw that no one was around and quickly stashed her bag of clothes in her subspace pocket, and walked to the studio that was about a minutes walk from where she was. When she reached the building she went inside got the tapes and headed towards the school. Once she got there she went to an open girls bathroom and changed into her workout clothes; which consisted of short forest green shorts, and a black sports bra with a tight mid drift black tank top, and of course tennis shoes. She had tied her hair into a lose bun on her head.  
  
Hitomi walked out to the track and began her stretches before she began her run. Once she felt stretched and relaxed she got into a starting position, preparing herself as if she was in a competition and silently said "Ready. Set. GO!" to herself and took off in a full out run. Pushing herself to her limit and beyond, and to her amazement. she felt like she could run at this neck breaking speed for hours. She reached start line and got into her starting position again, not feeling the least bit winded. This time she decided to time herself using the stopwatch on her watch. As soon as she told herself "GO!" she started her watch while she started running. She ran at the same speed and reached the starting line and stopped her watch. When she glanced at the time her eyes nearly popped out of her head, her watch read three minutes.  
  
'That's impossible! This track is more than a mile long! There's no one that can run that fast!!!!!' she thought to herself in amazement. 'Until now.' she thought again with a smirk. 'Lets see how many laps I can run at that pace.'  
  
Hitomi ran and ran she was up to 13 laps until a vision hit her. She saw the young man again and he looked so real, but she ran right through him. Hitomi shook away her shock and continued her run. She was going on 17 and was still going strong until and pillar of pale blue light appear 15 feet in front of her. A figure landed within the pillar and then the light faded until it disappeared revealing a young mans back to her. Hitomi realized that she was going to run into him if she didn't stop soon. So, as the young man turned around she began putting on the breaks as hard as she could so that she wouldn't run him over.  
  
~Mystery Man's Point of View~ (Sailor Universe: Yes we all know who he is, but bear with me ok.)  
  
I had finally got the spots out of my vision and realized that I was no longer on Gaea. I heard light, but fast footsteps behind me and I quickly turned around to see a girl running towards me, and it seemed that she was trying to stop by the way she was leaning her weight back and began digging her shoes into the ground trying desperately to stop her momentum. No matter how hard she tried she was going too fast and I couldn't move out of the way. The result was her running into me and I landed on my back with her on top of me, and my arms around her waist.  
  
~Normal Point of View~  
  
The two landed with a thud and Hitomi had the wind knocked out of her from the landing. The young man was ok, but slightly winded. The young man had a some what dazed look on his face and lightly held Hitomi while she gasped and coughed, trying desperately to get oxygen back into her lungs. They stayed in that position for about a minute after Hitomi could breathe properly again. Hitomi placed her hands on the ground on either side of them mans head and slowly pushed herself up to see whom she was on top of. As she pushed her self up she brushed her cheek against his and then lifted herself up until her arms were straight and looked at the teen underneath her.  
  
~Hitomi's Point of View~  
  
I looked at his face and saw someone that I was never sure that I would see face to face. It was the guy from my vision! The one who had plagued my mind for two days now! I took note of his messy black hair and his strong facial features. Then I looked into his eyes. I had never seen eyes that were as dark red as his! His eyes. they showed a lot of loneliness and anger. mostly sorrow. His eyes told me that he was a fighter and a survivor, but there was something else. but what?  
  
'Well one thing is for sure. this guy is gorgeous! Wait, what am I thinking? Snap out of it Hitomi and remember to never be quick to judge, or pay attention to looks. For all you know he could be like all the other creeps that have tried to get their hands on you! But. I can't help but think that. he's different than them. there's something special about him. I'll give him a chance. maybe.' Hitomi thought while inwardly smiling.  
  
~Man's Point of View~  
  
I looked up at the woman above and my breath was caught in my throat. Her eyes were dark green that seemed to be guarded, but there were a few emotions that I could see. I saw loneliness, pain, wisdom, and sorrow.  
  
'Her eyes seem so old.' I thought to myself.  
  
Some of her hair was out of its bun and fell over shoulder. The glow of the slowly setting sun framed her features perfectly making her look like a goddess.  
  
~Normal Point of View~  
  
Hitomi shook her head and got up off of the man underneath her and stood up. She held out her hand for him to help him up, which he took. Once he was up he looked at her somewhat cautiously, and Hitomi did the same.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" He asked with a deep tone the held a bit of arrogance.  
  
Hitomi narrowed her eyes slightly at him and said, "If anyone should be asking that question, it's me. You appeared in the middle of the track in a pillar of blue light, while I was practicing, and you have the gall to demand who the hell I am?! What planet are you from? You act almost as if you are a King! That arrogance is going to get you into trouble one of these days!!! Now I am going to ask you. Who the hell are you and where the fuck did you come from?!?!"  
  
The man stared at her slightly shocked that she was lecturing him and didn't seem the least bit nervous. "I am Van de Fanel, Prince and soon to be King of Fanelia."  
  
Hitomi gave him an incredulous look, "There is no Fanelia on Earth sir, and I think that you had better tell me the truth."  
  
"Earth? I am on the Mystic Moon then?" He asked.  
  
Hitomi looked at him carefully and then her eyes glazed over for a moment, and then cleared. "You aren't from this planet." Hitomi sighed, "I am Hitomi Kanzaki. I guess the only thing that I can say to you at the moment is welcome to Earth."  
  
Van looked around at his surroundings and saw something that caught his eye. He saw a billboard with the picture of a girl on it. "Isn't that you?" he asked.  
  
Hitomi looked at the billboard and back at him. "Yes, I'm a world famous model and singer here." She replied softly.  
  
"Wait a minute." Van trailed off.  
  
"What?"  
  
"If I was sent here then. so was he."  
  
"Who?" Hitomi asked in confusion.  
  
"You better run Hitomi." Van stated as he watched a portal of some sort begin to open. The portal got bigger and bigger, to reveal a forest and something coming through the opening to the Earth. It revealed a large reptile like creature, it had scales, long tail, and slits for pupils, four legs, and it was massive. "Run before the dragon eats you!" Van yelled.  
  
Hitomi looked at the dragon and yelled, "What about you?"  
  
"I'll be fine, now go!"  
  
Hitomi nodded reluctantly and ran to quickly grab her bag and headed for a temple that was not to far away. As she ran she was aware of the dragon following close behind her, but strangely she didn't feel threatened or scared of it. When she reached the top of the temple stairs she turned around and watched as the dragon jumped down in front of her. She stood there watching as Van fought the creature in a trance. The dragon seemed to keep an eye on her and Van at the same time; looking menacing towards Van, but differently towards her. Then the vision hit her.  
  
~Vision~  
  
Van was standing in front of the dragon getting ready for the final blow. Then suddenly the dragon's tail came up and Van never saw it coming. The tail went through Van's back and stomach and then into the ground. Van had a look of shock on his face until the light in his eyes faded and died. The dragon looked directly at her and a voice hissed in her head.  
  
"He must live, and I must die. You must go to Gaea. When you reach his Kingdom, go into the forest alone. You must protect this boy, and to do that you must retrieve your weapon that only the dragons can return to you. You are the only one you can point the way to the Dragon Queen. Teach him. Guide him. Save him. Save the people of Gaea."  
  
"Why are you telling me this?" She asked in slight confusion.  
  
"I must die, and he must live. I will rise again. he will not if he dies on this world or on Gaea. I cannot just allow him to kill me, otherwise he would not truly pass this test. You must warn him of my attack. He must live."  
  
Hitomi looked at the great creature in sadness and replied, "I will warn him, but I feel as if I know you some how."  
  
"All will be revealed in time. It is good to see you. I feel honored that when I die, it will be so that you can return. Good bye."  
  
~End Vision~  
  
Hitomi snapped back into reality and looked into the dragon's eyes. "He must live, and I must die." Repeated softly inside of her head. She nodded softly to the creature and saw the dragon's eyes flash briefly. Then the attack came.  
  
"Van the tail above you!!!!" She yelled.  
  
He looked up and saw the attack and quickly moved ass much out of the way as possible. When the tail impaled its self into the ground, Van's armor was cut in the front and fell off. Signaling that he just barely escaped a fatal end. Van then reacted quickly and killed the dragon. When the dragon was dead he cut open its chest and pulled out a glowing red stone.  
  
"I did it." Van said in awe and in triumph.  
  
Suddenly the dragon's body began to decay at an alarming rate. The skin seemed to evaporate, followed by the muscles and tissue, and then the internal organs. All was left of the dragon for a brief moment was its bones.  
  
"It is time for you to finally return home." the dragon's voice hissed softly to her as its bones became dust and was carried off by the gentle wind.  
  
Van turned towards her and said in a somewhat snotty voice, "You obviously would like some kind of reward for "helping" me with slaying the dragon. So, I'll give you the great honor of staying in my Palace."  
  
Hitomi kept her face neutral, but she was inwardly fuming at his little speech. 'Who the hell does he think that he is?! Oh, I am soooo enjoy beating that arrogance out of him!' She quickly and calmly walked up to Van and slapped him across the face.  
  
Van was in shock and it was shown clearly on his face. 'She slapped me! That really hurt too!' Hitomi looked hard into his eyes and said in a monotone, and deadly calm voice, "You have a lot to learn about people. Just because I saved your ass, it doesn't mean that I expect anything from you in return. You need to get up off your high horse Mr. Almighty Prince because if you don't. I will personally knock you off, and hard onto the ground. If I wasn't asked to make sure that you stayed alive, I would have let you be skewered by the dragon's tail."  
  
The look of shock never left Van's face during her statement, in fact he just became more shocked as she talked. 'Who does she think that she is?! Talking to ME the PRINCE OF FANELIA as an ignorant child!'  
  
"Because you are one." Was all that Hitomi replied to him.  
  
"Wha." Van never got to finish his question, for a familiar pillar of pale blue light surrounded them.  
  
Hitomi felt weightless and so light. 'I feel like I'm finally going to a place where I belong.' she thought. She looked at Van and thought while narrowing her eyes slightly. 'Since I'll have to stay with him for a while. I'm going to do something about his arrogance. Even if it means beating it out of him, or pounding him into the ground. And that's a promise. I'll make him see that I will never bow before him even if he is a prince!'  
  
Van and Hitomi's bodies were lifted up off the ground and up into the sky. To a world that was not Earth.  
  
~On Gaia~  
  
Van was the first to regain his footing and balance. He stood up and looked into the sky to see a familiar sight. "I'm home." He whispered softly. He turned towards Hitomi after hearing her groan slightly in discomfort.  
  
"Ugh. I think that I landed on a rock." she muttered. Not noticing the look she was receiving from Van.  
  
Van watched as her knee length, long light auburn hair, fall out of the bun that it was placed in as she stood up. 'Wow.' he thought in awe. He watched as she looked into the sky to see the Mystic Moon and its moon high in the sky. The glow that the two mysterious moons gave off outlined her form, giving her an unearthly aura.  
  
'So. this is where I'm supposed to be. On a planet where I will forever see my former home up in the sky.' she thought with a slight sigh. 'Home is where the heart is. but my heart doesn't belong on Earth. It's here. I need to find the man from my vision, but where is he? He looks a great deal like Van, but I'm not sure. I'll keep an eye on him, for my instincts are leading me to him. I was sent here for a reason, so I will complete the task that I am to complete. Until then. Goodbye my friends for I do not know if I will return.'  
  
  
  
To Be Continued.  
  
  
  
(Sailor Universe: Review please and tell me what you think! This is my first Escaflowne fic so be nice! Until next time!) 


	2. Fanelia

The Dragon Queen  
  
Chapter 2: Fanelia  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne.  
~Hitomi's POV~  
  
Everything was a blur to me. Van and I were surrounded by creatures that were a cross between wolves, and humans. I wasn't sure what to think at this point, but I hid my shock and confusion pretty well I think. I watched as Van talked to the leader, then he turned to me and said. "Let's go." All I could do was nod and walk to him as he led me to a huge furry creature that had a platform on its back for us to sit on.  
  
I sat in a corner of the platform so I could see what was going on. In the corner of my eye I could see that Van was lazily lounged on what looked like a large fluffy pillow.  
  
'Arrogant fool.' I thought with irritation when I noticed that he had a smug look, like he owned everything. 'If he thinks that I'll bow before him, I'll teach him a lesson that he will never forget!'  
  
I closed my eyes trying to meditate when I suddenly heard Van and the creature talking when they thought that I was asleep.  
  
"Who's your friend Lord Van?"  
  
"I wouldn't call her a friend. More like an annoyance that needs to learn her place." Van said with a voice of irritation.  
  
'THAT ASS!' I thought in anger. 'I'LL KILL HIM!'  
  
"Is that so?" the creature asked in amusement.  
  
"She had the nerve to threaten me." Van replied.  
  
The creature chuckled slightly and then the two were quiet. That's when I opened my eyes and looked at Van. When I saw that Van noticed that I was looking at him I gave him a death glare that screamed 'You are SO dead'.  
  
~Van POV~  
  
I noticed the way the girl Hitomi looked at me and noticed her death glare as well.  
  
'So, the girl was awake the entire time huh? Oh well, she can't do anything to me.' I thought smugly and I gave her a smug look that said 'You can't go anything to me'.  
  
In turn she mouthed 'Want a bet?' with an evil look. Then her face went blank and I could no longer read her emotions.  
  
"We'll reach Fanelia by dawn." My old friend announced.  
  
~Fanelia, Dawn~ (Still Van's POV)  
  
"Now listen here girl. You are in my kingdom, and you will obey my laws." I said arrogantly.  
  
I watched was she slowly turned her face to me, showing me the blank look on her face. The next words that she said to me shocked me to the core, but I didn't really know the full meaning of her words.  
  
"Well Prince fuck shit, you can go fuck yourself because I don't obey anyone, but my self and if you wish to have full use of your skinny-ass body. then I suggest that you remember that."  
  
The she turned her back to me and ignored me when I asked her what she meant. I looked at my old friend and his people, and noticed that they were as shocked as I am.  
  
'No body talks to me like that!' I quickly shoved those thought away when I saw that we were at the gate. 'Home.' I thought with a smile.  
  
~Hitomi's POV~  
  
'Well it looks like Mr. I-have-a-stick-up-my-ass-so-you-have-to-bow-before- me is stunned and confused with what I told him. It's amazing how it seems that they have no idea what kind of cruel, nasty words exist. Oh well, I don't plan on teaching them.'  
  
As the gates opened, I saw a somewhat small town, but in the back you could see a massive castle on a hill.  
  
'So, this is Fanelia.'  
  
During my quick survey of the quaint country I saw that the whole country seemed to be present and looking at my ass of a companion. If that's what you want to call him, but I could think of something far worse. I also noticed that five very finely dressed men were in front of the crowd of people and looking at Van as if expecting something. I watched as Van walked forward and held up the Dragon's heart and announced.  
  
"I have passed the trial of the Dragon Hunt. I have succeeded in slaying the dragon!"  
  
'Stupid arrogant fool, I saved your ass and the Dragon LET you kill it for some god awful reason.' I thought with a sigh.  
  
The people Fanelia all bowed before Van, and then the five men looked at the heart and bowed.  
  
"You have indeed passed the test. King Van." One announced with a smile, then everyone began to cheer. The sound was deafening, but I was used to because of all of my fans around the world. I don't think that the new king was quite prepared for all the noise though. After seeing his slightly shocked face as he looked at his people, I couldn't help but shake my head at him.  
  
'He's going to have a lot of problems in the future if he doesn't learn how to fix that.'  
  
I sighed as the heat began to irritate me a bit and so I took off my jacket to reveal my tight, mid drift tank top and that's when I noticed something. The bruise on my arm was no longer a bruise. It was an image of a Chinese like dragon wrapped around a sword. The dragon seemed almost alive and ready to strike at any moment.  
  
I took my eyes away from my new 'tattoo' to see a bright pink haired cat- girl launch herself at Van while laughing and saying how much she missed him. That's when I noticed Van had a somewhat annoyed look on his face.  
  
'Hmm. she looks like she's about 15 years old. She seems to have known Van for a long time, and yet he doesn't seem the least bit happy to see her. Poor kid, no one deserves to be treated like that.'  
  
The girl seemed to have noticed me because she ran over to me, but not before I saw the slightly hurt look on her face when Van pushed her away.  
  
"Hi! My names Merle! What's yours?" she asked with enthusiasm  
  
I couldn't help, but to smile softly down at her before saying, "My name is Hitomi Kanzaki."  
  
"Where did you come from? I've never seen anyone dress like you." The little cat-girl asked with enthusiastic.  
  
Before I could answer her Van called out, "Merle, girl, lets go!"  
  
I sighed and rolled my eyes at the demanding tone in his voice. Merle and I walked to him and got into the carriage that had arrived to take us to the castle. I glanced at Merle and saw that she was also slightly annoyed with Van's tone.  
  
::Is he always like this?:: I whispered into her mind.  
  
"Huh?" Merle looked at me in shock and confusion.  
  
::Think with your mind Merle.:: I said.  
  
::L-like this?:: she asked in confusion.  
  
::Yes. You're a fast learner.::  
  
::Thanks! And to answer your question earlier, he wasn't always like this.::  
  
::Hmm. shall we get him back for his behavior?:: I asked.  
  
::How?::  
  
::Watch and learn.:: was all that I said.  
  
Once we got into the castle I noticed that they had stone floors in the entrance.  
  
'Well, this is as good as time as any.'  
  
I focused my powers to one stone in front of Van and lifted it up. Not enough to be noticed, but enough to trip someone who wasn't careful. I watched with satisfaction as I saw Van's foot get caught on the stone and fall on his face. I merely walked over him and said, while mentally telling Merle to follow me.  
  
"Be careful Van. If you don't respect gravity, it WILL bite you in the ass and make you remember why you're able to keep your feet on the ground."  
  
Then I made the offensive stone move back into place as if it had never been moved.  
~Van's POV~ (Before tripping.)  
I walked into the entrance of my castle and instantly I felt the security of being home. I also felt somewhat victorious that the girl from the Mystic Moon obeyed my command when I told her to follow me.  
  
'Maybe she finally learned who was in charge.' I thought with a smirk, but my arrogance was short lived. My foot was suddenly caught on a stone in the entryway and I fell on my face.  
  
'What the hell?!' I thought in shock.  
  
After my 'tumble' I saw Merle and the 'girl' walk over me. While the 'girl' stepped over me she said, "Be careful Van. If you don't respect gravity, it WILL bite you in the ass and make you remember why you're able to keep your feet on the ground."  
To Be Continued.  
  
(Sailor Universe: Gomen, for not updating sooner, I've been sick and I've had way too many ideas running through my head at once. Plus I couldn't think of how to make this chapter longer, so I'll just end it here. If I think of something I'll add it and re-update it. Let me know what you think! Ja ne!) 


	3. Secrets Revealed

The Dragon Queen  
Chapter 3: Secrets Revealed  
  
(Sailor Universe: Hey guys! I'm back. I looked over your guys' reviews and I noticed that many of you had commented on Hitomi's attitude. Some are glad and some are curious as to way I made her attitude the way that it is. So it inspired me (along with the thunder storm) to write this chapter the way that I did. I hope that it answers some of your questions. Oh! About her hair color, Paige Moonsword you were the only one who commented and I had meant to answer your question earlier, but I forgot. ^_^() Anyway, to answer you question, I had looked at pictures of Hitomi's hair color and you wouldn't believe what I found. In some pictures she had light brown hair, blonde hair, and auburn hair. So I just picked a color, and added golden highlights to make seem like she had some blonde in her hair. I hope I've cleared some things up, well except for her attitude, but that well be somewhat answered in the chapter. Oh! I forgot about Van's height! He's 6'2" (tall isn't he? What can I say I love tall guys!). ON WITH THE STORY!!!)  
  
~Earlier~  
  
~Van's POV~ (Before tripping.)  
  
I walked into the entrance of my castle and instantly I felt the security of being home. I also felt somewhat victorious that the girl from the Mystic Moon obeyed my command when I told her to follow me.  
  
'Maybe she finally learned who was in charge.' I thought with a smirk, but my arrogance was short lived. My foot was suddenly caught on a stone in the entryway and I fell on my face.  
  
'What the hell?!' I thought in shock.  
  
After my 'tumble' I saw Merle and the 'girl' walk over me. While the 'girl' stepped over me she said, "Be careful Van. If you don't respect gravity, it WILL bite you in the ass and make you remember why you're able to keep your feet on the ground."  
  
~Now~  
  
"Follow me Hitomi and I'll show you to your room!" Merle said with excitement shinning in her eyes.  
  
"Ok Merle, I'm coming." Hitomi said with a smile.  
  
As the two girls walked down the halls Hitomi noticed a lot of guards in certain areas, but that wasn't all she noticed. Quite a few were following her with their eyes, eyes that were filled with lust, as she and Merle walked by.  
  
'Dammit! I hate it when men do that! I better avoid walking by these areas by myself. The last thing I want to do is cause trouble by getting into a fight.' Hitomi thought with disgust.  
  
Once they reached Hitomi's new room, Merle hopped onto the bed while Hitomi set her bag down and looked around the room that would be her new haven. It was simple much to her enjoyment, and there was plenty of floor space. (Sailor Universe: Something that my room doesn't have unfortunately.) The bed had a simple, yet elegant, four-post frame. There was a dresser, a closet, and a large window that overlooked the forest.  
  
"Do you like it? It's not much, but the really nice guest rooms are only for royalty." Merle said.  
  
"It's perfect. I never did like rooms that were overly decorated. I'm a fan of keeping things simple." Hitomi reassured the small cat girl while sitting down next to her on the soft mattress.  
  
"Hitomi-chan? Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Why did you look at the guards, and many of the male servants that we passed with distrust?" Merle asked with curiosity shinning in her blue- violet eyes.  
  
Hitomi sighed and said, "That is a story that will take a bit of explaining, but we have time. First off, to answer your question from earlier, I was born and raised on Earth, or the Mystic Moon as you call it."  
  
"Really?" Merle asked in awe.  
  
"Yes," Hitomi laughed lightly. "On the Mystic Moon women can hold power. Weather it be in politics, money wise, or fame. Fame as in: singers, models, world champions in sports and fighting, certain discoveries, famous doctors, authors, writers, reporters, etc. Many women know how to fight and live on their own and they are educated."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"Yes, but not event that can save us at times. There are still men who are sexist, abusive, controlling, conniving, and such. Not all men are like that, but there are still some that are. That's what can make it dangerous for women on the Mystic Moon. There's the fear of getting caught in relationships that are abusive, controlling, or nothing more than a quick fling. In some areas you have to fear the possibility of rape, and being famous can make you a major target. I am a famous model and singer on the Mystic Moon."  
  
"Did you. ever get raped?"  
  
"No thank gods, but it doesn't mean that I haven't been cornered by men who tried. When I was 16 I had met a boy that appeared to be sweet and kind. He asked me out, or if he could court me if that's how you refer it here, and of course being the fool that I was I said yes. I had failed to listen to my instincts that told me that something was off about him, and failed to pay attention to the lust in his eyes. After dating for a couple weeks he began to get possessive. I was a free spirit and never liked to put on a leash, so to speak. He wasn't happy with the fact that I refused to let him dominate me, or that I wouldn't bend to his wishes. I began to realize that he wanted to break me and use me. I had overheard him telling his friends that soon he would break me, and then he would sleep with me. After hearing that I decided that I had had enough. So right then and there, in front of many students in the school I decided to break up with him so then all the guys would know that I would not allow myself to bow down before any man. As my fame grew the more males wanted to see if they could jump into my bed, or take me by force. So I began to lose trust in all men except a few that I trust with my life. If it weren't for all the self-defense classes that I had taken over the years, many of the rape attempts might have succeeded."  
  
"If you knew that fame would make men target you more, then why did you become a singer and a model?" Merle asked in confusion.  
  
"My Mother, Father, and my little brother died a few months after I turned 16. I was able to get the government to allow me to remain in my home since I had no living relatives remaining. They had agreed only if I was able to get a job in a month or two. My friend Yukari got me to go to a singing audition and a modeling audition. It was pure luck that I got both. You can only get so far with one of those careers, but the brought in enough income for me to pay my bills, taxes, and still get food and other things that I needed." Hitomi replied.  
  
(Sailor Universe: Ugh, starting to feel tired. *looks at root beer* Shit! It's caffeine free! Dammit I need caffeine! Be right back!)  
  
(Sailor Universe: Shit, couldn't find anything but a fortune cookie. Oh well.)  
  
"Oh," Merle said then looked outside, "Hey it's time for dinner! Come on!"  
  
Hitomi laughed, "All right Merle."  
  
~After Dinner Hitomi's POV (Sailor Universe: Hey give me a break! It's 1:37 am and I have no caffeine in my system! Maybe an ice-cube will wake me up. AHHH! COLD! COLD! COLD!!!!)~  
  
I entered my room again and looked out the window and looked out at the forest. 'The dragon told me to go into the forest at night by myself. Well might as well go now.'  
  
I silently left my room once again and found my way into the gardens. I walked to the back and climbed over the wall that prevented me from entering the dark forest that was my destination. Once I was on the other side I made my way into the silent forest and came across a somewhat large clearing with a rock in the center and the light of the stars and the moons gave it a mystical glow. I walked to the center and sat down on the rock.  
  
"What do I do now?" I asked myself quietly.  
  
"Now I will return to you what is yours." A voice hissed in my mind.  
  
I snapped my head up and looked into the trees in front of me. A large dragon entered the clearing with its tail wrapped around something that I couldn't quite make out. It brought its tail around and placed the object on the ground in front of me. I leaned down and gently picked up the object of my awe. The object was a sword sheathed in a beautifully detailed scabbard. The scabbard was black with golden engravings of dragons in an attack position, exhaling fire. On the hilt of the sword was also black, but in the shape of a dragon with its wings spread out, and its features were outlined in gold. I placed my hand on the hilt and pulled the sword free from its hold, finding that the hilt and my hand seemed to mold together comfortably. On the blade there were words engraved.  
  
"'The flames in my heart burns with my dragon blood. All enemies before me shall met their end by my claws.'" I read out loud with confusion.  
  
"All will be revealed when then one who was lost returns." The dragon said.  
  
I nodded in understanding and watched as the dragon turned it's massive body and entered the woods once more. Once the dragon was gone I got up and left for my room, being sure to avoid the guards since I was in no mood for their looks towards me. As I entered my room, I changed into my pajamas and crawled into my bed exhausted.  
  
"Dealing with arrogant Kings is not my idea of fun." I mumbled tiredly as I let the realm of sleep take me in its arms.  
  
To Be Continued..  
  
(Sailor Universe: Sorry that it's so short, but I really need some sleep. I will try to update soon, but I need to work on some of my other fics too. Thanks for the support with my depression and I'll see you next time. I hope you guys understand a little bit about why Hitomi acts the way she does, plus it's partially my fault. Ok it's completely my fault because I'm getting tired of the usual weak and helpless girl act. I mean I'm fine with it in some stories because there are many stories that are written very well like that, but I'm one of the many headstrong females that doesn't sit back and take everyone's crap forever. Oh, see the review button? Push the review button! I will be very happy if you do! Bye!) 


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